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OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSM #0988 2261323
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O 141323Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI IMMEDIATE 0138
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2529
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA IMMEDIATE 0032
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING IMMEDIATE 1045
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA IMMEDIATE 0058
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA IMMEDIATE 0123
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA IMMEDIATE 0034
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA IMMEDIATE 0219
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA IMMEDIATE 0015
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA IMMEDIATE 0143

C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000988 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR DAS BRYZA AND EUR/CARC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SW MOPS GG
SUBJECT: SWEDISH MFA POLDIR ON GEORGIA MISSILE INVESTIGATION 
 
REF: A. TBILISI 2025 AND PREVIOUS 
     ¶B. MCDOWELL/SILVERMAN AUG 13 EMAIL 
     ¶C. BRYZA/SILVERMAN AUG 13 EMAIL 
     ¶D. CHRISTENSEN/BRYZA AUG 14 PHONE CALL 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Robert Silverman, reason 1.4 (b) and ( 
d). 
 
¶1.  (C) Charge met Aug 14 with MFA Political Director Olof 
Skoog to discuss Sweden's role in the Georgia missile 
investigation.  Skoog was joined by Foreign Minister Bildt's 
Staff Director Karin Olofsdotter.  Skoog said the missile 
incident had touched Swedish reflexes to respond when a 
larger country affects a smaller neighbor.  Skoog said he had 
received information that the Independent Intergovernmental 
Expert Group (IIEG) was prepared to issue its report.  He 
said the report, which he had not seen, would conclude that 
1) it was possible to identify the missile that was fired, 
but 2) it was not possible to identify the aircraft from 
which it was fired, and 3) the aircraft appeared to come from 
Russian airspace.  Olofsdotter, who had just finished talking 
with the Swedish Defense Ministry, said the plan was for all 
eight experts from the four countries participating in the 
IIEG (U.S., Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania) to sign the report 
August 14, which would then be submitted to the OSCE.  Skoog 
said Swedish Colonel Matts Helgesson, who is acting head of 
the IIEG, had informed the MFA that the U.S. experts in the 
IIEG had been uncertain of their authority to sign the report. 
 
¶2.  (c) Charge thanked the Swedes for taking a leadership 
role and indicated U.S. interest in supporting that role.  He 
noted our surprise that the investigation was already 
concluded and asked whether this would be an interim report, 
adding that we understood other countries may be interested 
in participating in the investigation.  Charge also noted 
that we understood (ref B) that there was interest in 
presenting the report to the UNSC.  Skoog noted that it would 
be important to consider how a prior referral of the report 
to the OSCE might affect a later attempt to refer the matter 
to the UNSC.  Skoog asked for U.S. views on whether or not to 
submit the report to the OSCE. 
 
¶3.  (c) During the course of the meeting Olofsdotter took 
several calls from Tbilisi regarding the report.  She 
received information on -- and expressed doubt about -- a 
proposal to have four identical reports signed separately by 
the representatives of the four countries participating in 
the IIEG. 
 
¶4.  (c) Comment and action request:  There is confusion, at 
least in Stockholm, over the scope and use of the IIEG 
report.  If the investigation is to be continued, expanded, 
and elevated to involve a political level (i.e., a possible 
role for a high-level official from Sweden), this needs to be 
made clear.  We do not think Sweden is set on an early 
report; the MFA seemed as surprised as we were that the IIEG 
thinks it can wrap up its work so quickly.  If we make clear 
that a more comprehensive investigation is needed, they may 
agree.  We would appreciate guidance to relay to Skoog and 
the MFA. 
SILVERMAN